The Morning After: Tuesday, September 26th 2017

PlayStation Now subscription option 'definitely in the works'

With PlayStation Now ready to enter its open beta today, Sony's Jack Buser answered calls for a subscription model by saying it's "definitely something in the works." The director of the game-streaming program elaborated on the PS Blog, writing, "...we've heard you loud and clear for an update on a PS Now subscription option and want to reassure you that we are working on it."

To recap, PlayStation Now lets players stream PS3 games from Sony's cloud servers to PS4, and other systems in the future. Currently the beta only offers rental options, with players able to access games for either 4 hours, 7 days, 30 days or 90 days. As displayed in a new video, there are different prices for different games - Vigil Games' Darksiders, for example, is $3 for 4 hours, $6 for a week, $8 for 30 days and $15 for 90.

The pricing structure has been the major point of contention for potential customers, reflected by Buser noting there'll be "reduced pricing" on some of the four-hour rentals in the coming weeks, bringing them down to $2. He also noted some of the games come with DLC included. However, it's likely most scrutiny will be reserved for how Sony approaches a subscription model, which the company plans to reveal more about "later."

The beta starting today is open to PS4 owners in the US and Canada, and if you fancy trying it out, Sony recommends you have a 5MB connection that's preferably wired. Also, if you're curious, you can collect PS3 trophies through the 100-plus games available in the beta, and full support for friend lists and leaderboards is also included. As for other systems, Buser said the beta will begin rolling out on PS3, Vita and select 2014 models of Sony TVs "soon."